At this point, you have probably been observed by both your URI instructors and your CTs. Take a few minutes to reflect on the feedback you've received. What have been your strengths and what challenges in your teaching will you need to address during the second half of your student teaching?
During the second half of my student teaching I will need to focus more on classroom management, an area I first considered a strength. After talking with my CT, she pointed out that when I'm giving instruction, many times the students are not paying attention. She's suggested that I COMMAND their attention; stop delivering instruction until "all eyes are on me." Another suggestion to gain their attention was to shut off the lights - I've done this in the past, and it only works occasionally. So today during the clean-up (there was more socializing than cleaning) of a plasticity lab, the "light trick" didn't work. I told the students it was time to go, but I wouldn't dismiss them until the lab materials were ready for the next class - that each table needed to look like it had when they began lab. That got their attention...it was time for them to go to PE.
Another challenge is the different paces of activity completion. There are some students who always finish sooner than others and they will distract those who haven't finished. At the beginning of lab today, I assigned questions/text reading as homework (ON FRIDAY??!!) so that those who finished early had something to do with the remaining class time. I also told them that the questions were due on Monday and no late work would be accepted. (Keeping up with grades, missing assignments and "who owes what" is a nightmare!)
During the second half of my student teaching I will need to focus more on classroom management, an area I first considered a strength. After talking with my CT, she pointed out that when I'm giving instruction, many times the students are not paying attention. She's suggested that I COMMAND their attention; stop delivering instruction until "all eyes are on me." Another suggestion to gain their attention was to shut off the lights - I've done this in the past, and it only works occasionally. So today during the clean-up (there was more socializing than cleaning) of a plasticity lab, the "light trick" didn't work. I told the students it was time to go, but I wouldn't dismiss them until the lab materials were ready for the next class - that each table needed to look like it had when they began lab. That got their attention...it was time for them to go to PE.
Another challenge is the different paces of activity completion. There are some students who always finish sooner than others and they will distract those who haven't finished. At the beginning of lab today, I assigned questions/text reading as homework (ON FRIDAY??!!) so that those who finished early had something to do with the remaining class time. I also told them that the questions were due on Monday and no late work would be accepted. (Keeping up with grades, missing assignments and "who owes what" is a nightmare!)